Page 13 of Jabba's Journey

I’m still chucklingas I follow behind Electra, leaving Cyrus to deal with his precocious daughter and naughty mate. Once we’re outside, I move so I’m standing in front of her, looking down into her expressive face. I can still scent her arousal and it’s taking every last bit of my control to keep my hardon from showing up.

“She’s something else,” Electra murmurs, her gaze skittering away from mine.

“She wasn’t lying, though,” I reply, shrugging. “Jazzy doesn’t know about the subtleties of humor yet, plus she’s always been allowed to speak her mind. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because she’s been raised to be strong and fierce, but there are times when what she says, while appropriate, is too advanced for her.”

“I was homeschooled,” she whispers. “So, I wasn’t around a lot of other kids. It was mostly my mom and me.”

I look at her and say, “Doesn’t bother me one fucking bit, Electra. Especially if you’re trying to say you’re a bit awkward about certain topics. I’ll protect you, I’llalwaysprotect you.”

Her face brightens as she leans into me, and I’d swear she had some cat shifter in her because to my ears, it sounds as if she’s purring.

“Thank you, Jabba. That means a lot to me,” she expresses, laying her head on my upper arm seeing as she can’t reach my shoulder.

There aren’t a lot of times I detest my height, but right now, I do… I truly do because I’d love to reciprocate by laying my head on top of hers, imprinting my scent into her.

“So, when you mount me,” I say cheekily, “I want you to do it as if you were riding a horse bareback. Use the pelt at the nape of my neck to hold onto me with. Use it like you would a horse’s reins. It’ll help you keep your balance.”

Right now, the thought of her luscious thighs cradling my flanks, her arousal soaking into my fur has me biting back a growl. Her scent is heady, of course, but with the addition of her desire that’s been steadily building, I’m in a delicious state of agony.

“Let’s get you to your water source, Electra. A dip in the hot spring sounds good to me also,” I say, guiding her away from the back door and into the field so I can shift.

“I need the power boost,” she tells me. “I’m stronger than I was, but I still have some healing left to do. Whenever you’re ready.” When she holds out her hands for me to get on with it, I take it as my cue that we need to move on from this conversation.

Without any fanfare, I strip down and shift, standing proudly before her as a wolf. I see her eyes expand but I don’t smell any fear emanating from her. When she reaches out to touch me, I sit on my haunches, my tongue lolling out as I wait for her to touch me.

I may be an animal right now, but I’ve been longing for her to willingly touch me so when her hand touches the top of my head between my ears, I may or may not whine just a little bit before I lick her arm, causing her to giggle.

“Okay,” she says, mumbling to herself. “How in the heck am I supposed to do this?”

Her predicament dawns on me so I make it easier for her to climb aboard and I flatten my body to the ground while my tail wags as she climbs onto my back, sighing deep inside when I feel her settle and then gently grab the fur around my neck. Once I’m sure she’s as secure as she’s gonna get, I stand up and hear her gasp followed by a giggle.

Woofing lightly, I turn toward where the spring is located and set off in a gentle lope, being mindful of the woman who’s astride my back.

If wolves could grin, I’d be sporting one as I prance through the high grass. Once we hit flat ground, I begin to sprint, yet not too fast so that she doesn’t lose her stability.

“Wow,” she whispers. “This is amazing, Jabba. I can’t believe you get to experience this every time you change forms.”

I can’t wait until we unite the way our people do so I can telepathically speak to her through our mate bond. This is an intimate act for a wolf, he only allows those that are important and trustworthy to ride on their backs.

It doesn’t take but a few minutes for us to make it to our destination. When we arrive, I crouch down so that she can dismount. As soon as she’s on her feet, I shift back into my human form. I shoot her a dazzling smile and bend down to peck her on the cheek.

“How did you like your first ride, Electra?”

“Are you looking for compliments, Jabba?” she teases. “I already told you I thought it was magnificent.”

“I know, but I couldn’t respond, and I really wanted to,” I answer.

“Oh, yeah? And what would you have said?”

“I’d have told you that my wolf considers you special, it’s the reason he let you jump on his back and carried you here, to a spot he considers part of his territory,” I murmur.

I’m not great at this flirting thing like the rest of my brothers are, but for her, I’m going to try so she understands how extraordinary she and this connection I have to her is.

She takes a deep breath and I wait to see how she’s going to respond. But what comes out of her mouth nearly has me dropping to my knees, especially given the fact that for most of my life, until I found the Iron Howlers, I was a freak.

Ungainly, too big, awkward.

“I think you’re special, Jabba,” she softly says. “From the first time I set eyes on you, I’ve felt a connection, and it’s only getting stronger the more time I spend with you.”

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